Why me?
by Kyo Silverblood
Summary: Shikamaru Nara isn't used to having feelings towards any girl but when a chance encounter leaves our favorite lazy ninja and the pink haired Sakura head over heels for each other his life gets a little bit more complicated.
1. Intro

**Intro**

Shikamaru Nara was busy at his favorite pastime. Sitting under a tree staring at the sky, wondering what he should do next. Shikamaru's problem however, was that no matter how long he sat and thought nothing ever really came to mind. So he would spend hours in the same spot until he had to go to work or until somebody came to fetch him. Not a very fulfilling days work for a genius, huh?

Today was different though. Usually he thought of nothing at all. Today his thoughts kept straying back to Sakura Haruno. He just didn't know why he had become so attracted to her all of a sudden. And it wasn't that she wasn't attractive. Shikamaru had to admit that she was probably one of the sexiest women in Kahona Village. But he knew he'd better not say it aloud. Not if he wanted to keep his personals intact. If Ino got word of his thoughts on Sakura, he was a dead man. Frankly Ino had no say in who he dated, but she was scary, especially if anybody said that Sakura was the prettier of the two. Just the fact that he was attracted to anybody was something else. Shikamaru had never really showed any signs that he was attracted to anybody.


	2. Man, what a drag!

It had started a few days earlier. He had been at the training grounds. There wasn't any particular reason he was there. He just needed to release some stress…..and to get away from his mother. She was up to her usual tricks. He had gotten home from his usual activities…..mainly cloud watching. He knew what to expect but he still hated hearing it. The old bat had been on his case for weeks. He hadn't been home for more than a few minutes when she started. She began badgering him about getting a girlfriend….again.

"You're 25 years old now Shikamaru, when are you going to get a nice girl and settle down?" Ms. Nara started.

"C'mon already mom, I just got home. Can't I just relax for a bit?"

"This coming from a man who spends most of his days staring at the sky."

"I was busy thinking."

"What about?"

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

The argument continued in this manner for at least 15 minutes. She tried many times to get him to go out on a date with one of her friends daughters. She had tried this before. She had tried to push Temari and Tenten on him. Temari was the sister of the Kazekage, and Tenten was known to have a thing with Neji. He really couldn't tell which was worse. Both Neji and Gaara could really put him in some pain and he wasn't willing to cross either of them. None of the village women really caught his eye either. She had gone as far as to try to get him alone with Ino Yamanaka. Sure Ino was his teammate, and not to mention she was gorgeous. But she was known to sleep around….a lot. Plus she was vain, whiney, selfish, and had an expensive taste that Shikamaru knew he could not contain. He was a simple guy. He never bought anything he didn't need and he was straight forward to the point of being rude.

"Well then….why don't you go out with Sakura Haruno? I know for a fact that she's available."

"That's enough mom. Man, what a drag," he complained as he walked out of the house again. With no particular direction in mind he roamed the forests on the outskirts of the village.


	3. A Chance Encounter

Not really paying any attention to his current path Shikamaru kept walking aimlessly. Suddenly he stumbled onto the training grounds he had used as a Genin. He entered at the far end. From his vantage point he could see the Village Memorial Stone and the three stumps near it. After some thought he decided he could use a little shuriken practice. He was a little out of practice because of his job. A few years back he had taken the job of mentoring. Therefore he had to deal with snot-nosed monsters on an almost daily basis. And after that each day, he really didn't feel like doing much else.

He chose one of the trees on the far end of the field. Taking his time to carefully aim he began to hit the targets one after another. After a few minutes he decided it would be best to go and retrieve his weapons. He got all but one of the shuriken out without too much trouble. One of his had hit the knothole in the tree and had become lodged. After a few minutes of useless tugging he decided to give up. He sat down with his back against the tree and decided it might be a good time to take a nap. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't drift off. His mind kept wandering back to what his mother had said.

"Why do women have to be so damn troublesome?" he complained loudly.

"And just what the HELL is that supposed to mean Shikamaru Nara?"


	4. Friendly? Conversation

Shikamaru lazily peered into the tree above where he heard the voice emanate from. Sitting on a branch directly above him was none other than Sakura Haruno herself. Glaring at him nonetheless. He had been so distracted by what his mother had said he failed to notice her sitting directly overhead in plain view. What distracted him the most was that his mother had mentioned Sakura. It was strange. He had never really been attracted to women. Not that he was attracted to men. He had always thought of girls as being too troublesome. He couldn't deal with the emotional attachment, the constant need for attention, or…dear God, not to even mention the mood swings. No, girls were definitely not a good idea. Or so he had thought.

Somehow the idea of him and Sakura together had become lodged in his brain more thoroughly than his shuriken in the tree. He had a major problem on his hands. He liked to rationalize everything. The problem was that the more he analyzed it the more confused he became. He thought he wanted a girl who wasn't too strong or too beautiful. Sakura Haruno didn't fit either description. She was amazingly gorgeous and so strong willed that it could hurt. He didn't understand it. How could he want her and still be afraid of being with her at the same time? It was frustrating to say the least.

If he was surprised to run into her his face didn't show it in the least. In fact he looked as lazy and bored as ever.

"Oh, hi Sakura. I didn't quite see you there. How are you?" he inquired.

"Don't avoid the question Shikamaru Nara!" she growled at him. She had a look of complete anger and a steely glint in her eye that he had rarely seen. The last time he had seen her look at anybody like that Naruto had ended up head first through the ramen shop wall. "Note to self," he thought to himself, "never touch Sakura's ass." Obviously she was in a bad mood. He wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to push his luck. After some quick contemplation he decided he would risk it. "I'm not avoiding the question, I'm merely passing the time with some friendly conversation," he replied lazily.

"I'm fine, but you won't be unless you tell me what the fuck you meant by that rude little comment of yours!" she threatened.

He could tell she was lying about being ok. He wasn't really afraid but he knew that it would be unwise to test an angry Sakura. Still, he decided to tempt fate once more. "It's really none of your business since it wasn't directed at you, Haruno," he teased "but if you really must know it's my mother," he finished quickly seeing her become enraged by his comment. "She's spent every waking moment trying to get me to get me set up on dates. She's tried everyone. There was Tenten, Temari, and Hinata. She even went as far as to try to get me to date Ino! Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen." He had purposely left out Sakura's name. He had no need to risk her getting even angrier with him.

Suddenly Sakura's look of anger changed to something else altogether. This left Shikamaru as confused as ever. She looked almost sad and said, "I'll see you later Shikamaru," and left quickly. He sat there thinking about it for a while. He couldn't understand what had come over him. He had no reason to push his personal problems off on Sakura. She had enough problems of her own. Apparently her and Genma had a bit of a falling out after they had been dating for the past six months.


	5. Betrayal

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"Why the fuck did I have to act like that!?" she screamed. Sakura sat alone in her room for the rest of the day wondering just that. She had no reasonable explanation for it. How could she be jealous. She didn't have any feeling s for Shikamaru. At least she didn't think she did. He was good looking, smart, and charming…..when he wanted to anyways. But he was lazy and it irritated her to no end with his know-it-all attitude.

It was odd; she'd known him since they were kids. She was 23 years old and had suddenly developed feelings for him? It just didn't make sense. When he had mentioned the names of the girls in the village she had suddenly become even angrier, and somehow jealous. She had suddenly wanted to find each one of the girls and beat them to a pulp one by one. It didn't help that she was already still pissed at Genma for cheating on her. She had walked into _her_ house to find him fucking Ino. Ino was supposed to be her friend! And Genma! He had been her boyfriend for the past six months! What was with that!? Sakura definitely took a bit of satisfaction in throwing both of them out the front door….naked.

Completely oblivious to his and Ino's stammering apologies, she threw their clothes out after them. The next day she enlisted Kakashi and Naruto's help to drop his things off at his house. Kakashi and Naruto were worried and kept asking her to tell them what happened, but she refused to tell anyone. That had been three months ago.

She had tired of her mother and friends coming to try and cheer her up. She didn't want sympathy, and she hated pity. At least Genma and Ino had been too ashamed to show their faces around the village. That was probably a good thing too. Sakura had only told Tsunade what had happened, and it probably wouldn't look good if the Hokage committed murder on two of her own village.

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**Authors Note. PLEASE READ THIS!!**

**Hey. This is actually Dark Darianna Minamino now. Teh Smexy Ninja that we all love, has now shiped out for boot camp. He is my boyfriend and will be sending me his chapters for me to type up when he gets them done, if he ever gets any time. He's in the army now if anyone has gone to his profile and looked at it at all. I dont know if I'll be able to reply to e-mails for him or not, but if you have a personal message for him, just send it to me, and I'll pass it on for you. This is the only chapter I have for now, but i promise that as soon as I get more of them, I'll type them up for you guys. **

**Peace out! And let's all hope he survives the next five years!! **

**DDM**

**I know this is going to be cheesy, but if any one wants to check out my stories and let me know what you think I would seriously appriciate it. Please and thanks!**


	6. Mood Swings

"C'mon Shikamaru……you've gotta eat something."

Chouji had invited his friend to dinner that night. It had been a long time since he had gotten to be with his best friend. Once they became adults it was hard to find any time to just relax as friends. They were either on missions or were busy with other business. All night Shikamaru had just been out of it. They were at the newest barbeque restaurant in Kohona. Chouji had been dying to try it. It was thriving tonight. But Shikamaru was about as lively as rock.

"I'm not hungry." He stated shortly and pushed his plate a couple of inches away from him.

"Man,", Chouji thought "he's sure moody today. I mean, he's always sarcastic…that's normal Shikamaru…but he's never like this. He's just out of it." He never got an attitude with Chouji….ever. There wasn't a single time he could remember that Shikamaru had acted like this towards him. If it wasn't physically impossible, Chouji would have said Shikamaru was pregnant, goddamn mood swings. They were best friends, and had been since the academy. Chouji really didn't have all that many friends. At least not until he met Shikamaru. He had always been as he put it "chubby". He was a bit strange and none of the other students wanted anything to do with him. Once he was put on a team with Ino and Shikamaru that changed. He got to know Shikamaru and they became fast friends.

"Alright Shikamaru….spill it, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing." Shikamaru stated flatly.

"You can lie about as well as Naruto can cook…..now spill it!"

It wasn't a complete lie on Shikamaru's part. There was something wrong but he had no idea what it was. He wracked his brains for hours that day before he was invited to dinner trying to discern what it could be. All he got was……nothing. Nothing in the slightest. He had no idea what was wrong with him. He couldn't understand it. He couldn't even concentrate on a game of Shogi or cloud watching…..which took no thought process at all.

"C'mon Shikamaru, let's get out of here. Some of us are heading to club a few blocks down. You wanna go?"

"Sure, why not?" He replied with no feeling at all. Sighing Chouji payed the bill and led his friend across town.

* * *

Hey Everyone. I'm back and starting to write again. First of all I want to thank my girlfriend. Actually I will rephrase that. I would like to thank my fiancee for explaining my current situation in my absence. For those that did not know. I joined the Army and left for Basic back in July of 2008. I got my laptop after Basic but have been finding it increasingly difficult to write let alone get it typed and published. Life is fairly hectic right now for me. So try to bear with me for a bit. I'm trying to get my life sorted out and I don't really write much unless I get get hit by some inspiration, which is happening increasingly rarely. I'm trying to get everything straightnened first. I want to get my family started and my career in order. And then I need to get my fiancee the back surgery that she desperately needs. I will try to keep you updated. Thank you for everything.


	7. Bad Train Of Thought

Sakura was still shaken up. Actually, she was freaked the fuck out. She still couldn't get Shikamaru out of her thoughts. She had tried getting to sleep. First to no avail, but eventually she did. 15 minutes later she forcibly woke herself up to keep her dream Shikamaru from molesting her into the next Era. She had been sitting under the tree behind her house for the past hour just staring at the clouds. Slowly she closed her eyes and relaxed. Sitting with her back up against the tree. Her thoughts once again drifting too Shikamaru "Christ….I feel like Nara." she thought to herself. "Lazy smartass….can't put effort into anything. How could nature be that much of a bitch. Giving that kind of genius to somebody so lazy. Seems like a complete waste if you ask me. Should have given him something else. Put that muscled body to some kind of use." Suddenly she was thinking of Shikamaru without his shirt on. Thinking of his sculpted chest and abs, wondering how it would feel to run her nails down his chest. Wondering what kind of reaction she could get out of him if she raked her nails softly down his back. Moving her hands down his chest, lower down his stomach….till she reached his belt and slowly

BAD TRAIN OF THOUGHT BAD TRAIN OF THOUGHT BAD TRAIN OF THOUGH. She forced her eyes open mentally yelled at herself. She went inside her house. "That's it." she said. "I'm going out tonight. I have to get him out of my head." She marched straight up to her room and began changing while still chastising herself mentally . "What the hell is wrong with you? Pull yourself together damnit!!! You can't be thinking of him like that. That man is such a dick. Speaking of dick I bet Nara has a huge…..DAMNIT!!!!!


	8. Leave Me Alone

"Some of us" must have ment something completely different to Chouji than to Shikamaru. To Chouji "some of us" meant everybody Shikamaru knew since he was a kid. And he did mean everybody. Neji and Tenten were there. Then again they were always seen together. They were dating, had been for quite a while. Kakashi was leaning against the building, reading his ever present novel, and chuckling too himself. Kurenai hanging on Asuma's arm. Lee was, loud as always, trying to engage Naruto in coversation. Naruto, even louder telling "Fuzzy-brows" to calm down and stop yelling. Hinata and Shino were standing apart from the group….which wasn't too surprising. It was surprising that they had even shown up. Shino was…..different. He really wasn't all that outgoing and tended to stick to his bugs. Hinata was so shy that she might as well not have existed. She was also madly in love with Naruto, but the dumbass was so dense it was like trying to converse with a tree. Shikamaru noticed she kept glancing to Naruto every couple of seconds. Kiba was there. As always he had Akamaru with him. Akamaru was now bigger than Kiba, but he really didn't seem to notice.

Temari and Kankuro were also there. They were "on a mission" from the Kazekage. In actuality they were ordered out for the next two months due to Gaara's severe annoyance with them. Ever since he had become Kazekage they had become increasingly protective. "OUT….NOW!!!!" he ordered. "I don't want to see either of you for the next two months. I'm a grown man, not a child."

"SHIKAMARU!!!!" Temari instantly detached herself from her brothers side and ambushed him.

"Troublesome.", he thought. The second she noticed him he was knocked flat to the ground. "Why me?"

"Hey Shikamaru, what's up?" This from Naruto. All he did was grunt in reply. "Jeez, just trying to friendly…" he finished and shuffled back over to the group.

"Maybe he wouldn't be so touchy if he got himself a girlfriend, hmmm Neji?" Tenten teased. She lifted her head and nuzzled the side of Neji's neck….who promptly lost all motor functions. All she got from Shikamaru was a look that clearly said, "Mind your own business."

"Hey, why are we just standing here?", Chouji said. "Let's go on in."

"ALLRIGHT!!!" Naruto about knocked them all over in a rush to go in but tripped and fell. A small giggle escaped Hinata but she gasped and blushed when Naruto looked around. She peeked out shyly from behind Shino. "A-are you okay, Naruto?"

"Yeah….I'm fine, don't worry about me!!" he replied….as loud as ever.

"O-o-o-okay…." she replied.

One by one filed in the door, Naruto leading the way and Shikamaru bringing up the rear. They sat down and ordered some drinks. Neji and Kakashi sat on either side of Lee to make sure he didn't get any kind of alcohol. Kakashi simply smacked Lee's hand the one time he reached for a drink and then handed him something else. Lee grudgingly took it and sat content in his seat. Even Akamaru was getting into the spirit. At least he was. For his size the dog was nothing but a lightweight. He now sat curled under the table paws on his head trying to drown out the noise. All Kiba did was look at him and state "I warned you, didn't I?"

Shikamaru, as he was all night, sat in corner all night with a scowl on his face. He still didn't figure out why he was so moody….and the drinks were not improving his thinking or his attitude. He barely said two words the whole night. Even when Temari asked him to dance all he did was sit there silent as a statue until she went away. "Asshole." she said as she stalked…well more like stumbled….away.

It wasn't until he caught a flicker of pink that he really even moved. He damn near gave himself whiplash with the speed his head turned. Completely unaware of what he was doing he made to get up. He started walking towards Sakura with every intent too talk too her. He wanted to know why she had been so upset back at the training field. But before he got within 20 feet of her she was being chatted up by somebody else. Without a second thought he headed for the door. He didn't know why he just couldn't stand being there anymore.


	9. Pale As The Moon

Shikamaru sat out in the tall grass for what felt like hours. All he did was stare. Stare at the reflection of the full moon in the lake. This was one of his favorite spots to go. It was quite and nobody ever came here. He would sit under the trees for hours. His particular favorite being a Willow that had larger braches that hung out over the waters edge. He used to sit here for hours on end watching the clouds go by. Now he just sat looking at the moon's reflection in the rolling water. He'd been brooding. And for days he couldn't figure out why he was acting so strangely. Tonight, sitting by the water, he had finally figured it out. He was lonely…..and he was in love. It didn't make sense to be lonely, at least that's what he thought. He had friends. Hell, he couldn't ask for a better friend than Chouji. Chouji was the epitome of loyal. Shikamaru knew he would give his life in an instant to protect him. But he was lonely in a completely different sense.

Throughout his life Shikamaru had never known what it was to be in love. And now that he did….it was so strange. True enough, he was a romantic at heart. A hopeless romantic some might say. He had love to share. He just didn't have anybody to share it with. He'd had a few girlfriends, but he couldn't honestly say that he loved them. He dated Temari for a bit. But it was awkward to them both. That relationship never really went anywhere. To him, Temari was more like a sibling. He was overly protective of her enough. No matter how much he denied it to his mother, he really did want to settle down and have a family. He just couldn't find anybody who wanted him. And now he was taking it out on everybody, including himself.

He continued to stare at the moon in the water for some time. Sadly he looked up at the moon and asked "Why me? Honestly, why me?" He stared blankly at the water's edge whispering to himself, "Am I really that unimportant, that insignificant that nobody………huh?"

Craning his neck he tried to get a glimpse of who had walked up behind him. Before he got a chance to see he felt two small arms wrap gently over his shoulders. Looking down he saw two thin arms, pale as the moon in front of him ending in freshly manicured nails painted deep blood red.

"S-Sakura?"

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked slowly.

"Your nails." He replied. "I noticed them when you walked into the club." Still he never took his eyes of the moon in the lake.

"That's a strange thing to be looking at." she said. "Most of the men in this world would be too busy looking at my chest or ass to notice anything else."

"I notice everything," he paused for a brief second and then finished, "especially about you." He didn't know what made him say it. But after it was out he realized that it was the truth. He did notice everything about her. He just didn't realize he did. He could easily see her in his mind. Her hair, her eyes, her clothes…he could even pin down her scent. Every detail, as natural to him as his own body.

"Oh…really?" she replied softly. She wasn't angry or even unnerved…only surprised. She had no idea that Shikamaru had any kind of interest in her at all. "Fine," she said trying to lighten his mood a bit. "What shirt am I wearing?"

"Your not." he replied numbly. "Your wearing a dark red dress. Deep hemming." he continued. "Your hair is in a bun, held up by two senbon. Your wearing black open toed shoes, with heels." He said the entire thing as if he had recited it for an hour beforehand. But he said it with no emotion at all.

"Wow…." It was all she could say. She doubted that she herself could have recited it so perfectly. And he had only seen her for a few seconds before leaving.

"Sakura? Why did you follow me here?"

"Because, I was worried about you." she replied in a subdued tone.

He noticed the subtle change in her voice. "Sakura? What's wrong?"

"Nothing" she lied.

Shikamaru decided it was best not to push it. "If she wants to talk about it she will. And if she wants to talk to me, I'll be listening." He thought to himself. "That's all I can do for her."

Not even realizing that she was going to, Sakura broke out into silent sobs, tears running freely down her face. Feeling we drops falling on the back of his slumped neck Shikamaru began to turn around slowly. "C'mon Sakura. It's about to rain. We need to get you ho……Sakura?"

With no control over his own body Shikamaru wrapped her in his arms and held her close. Letting her cry he sat his cheek against her head as she sobbed into his chest. He realized how very small she really was. He could probably wrap one arm around her waist and she could move easily. He held her there and let her cry as long as she needed to.

"If I could lay here and hold her like this forever, I would" he thought to himself. They sat there holding each other for a long time. Shikamaru took every second to enjoy the feel of her skin, the texture of her hair, and the scent of her body. It was amazing to him. He had never held anybody like this. It was an experience like no other to hold her there and show her that he cared for her.

After a while he decided that she really did need to get home. It was starting to cool down for the night.

"C'mon Sakura," he said softly, "let's get you home. It's starting to get cold." And with that he stood up slowly and gently pulled her to her feet. As they walked along, she realized he was right. She hadn't really felt the cold until then. She was too busy crying to care. She knew that she cared for Shikamaru greatly. She just didn't know if they could be together or not. She began rubbing her arms to try to reinstate circulation.

Smiling slightly Shikamaru quickly took off his button down shirt and draped it over her shoulders. "Mmmmmm, thank you Shika-kun." Edging a little to the left she leaned her head in his shoulder. "Hm?" She noticed something wasn't quite right. Looking up and opening her eyes she noticed that his entire torso was naked. She was wearing his only shirt. "Sh-Sh-Shikamaru!!"

"Yes?"

"You dolt….your shirt!!" She stopped there because that's all she was really able to say. Mostly due to the fact that she was now ogling his upper body. He was muscular, with curves and edges in all the right places. She could tell that was a body many women would kill to claim as their own.

"OOOOOHH YUMMY!!!" Inner Sakura nearly screamed.

"Shut up, you!" Sakura yelled mentally.

"Come on" Inner Sakura pleaded. "We should take him now!!! Toss him behind those bushes coming up an rape him!! He won't mind, I promise!"

"Sakura!?!"

"Hm?"

You, okay? You've been spacing out for the last couple of minutes or so.", he said. "You were saying something about my shirt?"

"Oh! Sorry!" she said hurriedly. "Here", she said taking it off. "Put it back on. You've got to be freezing."

"No. It's okay. Keep it on."

She breathed an inner sigh of relief. To be honest she was hoping he would refuse. It gave her a chance to eye that delicious looking torso some more. Once again, she lay her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as they walked. "Mmmmmm….what is that smell?" she thought too herself. "It's intoxicating. It smells like a fresh rain in the middle of a forest. Wait a minute, we aren't anywhere near o forest and it hasn't rained in weeks. What the hell?" Suddenly she realized that it was coming from Shikamaru and his shirt. "God, I love that smell."

"Ahhh, here we are." he said at last.

Opening her eyes she had only one thought. And that thought was: Damn. They had reached her house. It was one hell of long walk. Not nearly long enough for her though. She didn't want it to end.

"Good night, Shikamaru. Thank you for putting up with me tonight."

"It's the least I can do as a gentleman. Now, Milady, allow me the honor of walking you to your door?"

"Damn, he really is charming when he wants to be." she thought. "And that smile, well, it's more like a smirk. But it's so damn sexy."

"Okay" she agreed. Taking one of his arms she took hold as he walked her slowly to her door. Reaching her door he detached his arm and gave her a sweeping bow.

"Here you are Madam. Safe at home as promised." He then looked up at her with that smile still in place and stood up fully.

Giggling she looked up and was stopped suddenly. She had never really seen his eyes. At least not up close as she was doing now. "Wow…they're…they're gorgeous." she thought to herself. At first she thought they were hazel. Then as she looked closer she realized they were a pale gold color, with a dark gold ring around the center. "He's so beautiful when he smiles" she thought to herself. "I wish he would smile more often." She looked back into his eyes again. "Those eyes…..I could just stare into them for hours."

"Um….S-Sakura?" he asked politely. She'd been staring at him for nearly two minutes with the most peculiar look on her face. And she hadn't said a word. Without realizing what she was doing and no way to stop herself she reached up and slowly placed a hand on his cheek. Then she leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his. Nearly standing on her toes to reach him.


	10. Sweet Dreams

"Um Saku-"

Suddenly he was cut off by a pair of soft lips on his. He lost control of his body. With no conscious thought he kissed her back. Softly at first, but then deepening it considerably. Placing on hand on her lower back he pulled her body close against his and lifted her up to her toes so he could reach her better. Sliding his tongue against her lips begging for entry he placed his other hand on the back of her neck. Gladly she obliged and opened her mouth for him. Instantly his tongue invaded her mouth. And then she was kissing him back just as deeply. At first they battled for dominance of the kiss. She dug her nails into his back. He pushed her back up against the door as it went on. Then slowly she allowed him to take control. Placing her hands on his chest she gave him free reign. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Her nails dug into his shoulder to show him that she wanted more.

Breaking away, he gave her a small chaste kiss on the side of her neck, and was gone.

Walking in his front door, Shikamaru slammed it behind him. He turned to the wall and sat his forehead against it in frustration. "Dammit" he said allowed to himself. He walked over to the couch/bed and pulled it out. He almost never slept in the bedroom he set for himself. He really saw no point in it. There was really nobody who ever visited him. At least nobody other than his mother.

"Dammit", he exclaimed again and flopped backwards onto the bed. "Why did I run like that?" Feeling like a complete idiot he pushed himself sluggishly off the bed and walked to the back door let his dog, Miki, outside before he went to bed. Once her "business" was finished he walked over to the bed again and flopped tight back down. Miki looked up at him with intelligent amber eyes. "No, Miki, nothings wrong.", he stopped. "…..except for the fact that I'm talking to a dog" he finished and slumped back on his bed.

"Ow, dammit Miki!!" he exclaimed as she nipped at his ankle. He couldn't help but laugh as she looked up at him with what appeared to be a grin. After all this time he couldn't get used to the fact that she was just as intelligent as most humans. "Alright girl, go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

With that he slumped back and stared at the ceiling for a while. Usually his thoughts for the night were "I hope mom doesn't come over tomorrow." Tonight though he couldn't stop thinking of Sakura. "I wonder if she'll come and return my shirt?" he mused. He smiled to himself as a plan began unfolding in his mind. Then he turned on his side and promptly passed out.

Sakura stumbled slightly as his body weight disappeared.

"Shi-Shikamaru?" she asked hesitantly. Looking around she realized he was nowhere to be found. And she concluded it was useless to look. He was long gone. "Especially given the amount of time it took me to recover from those lips!!" she thought to herself. Still she was frustrated as hell. "Grrrrrr…..Shikamaru!!! You are such an ass!!!" she yelled.

"Speaking of ass…he's got one hell of an ass!!!" Inner Sakura damn near screamed.

"OH…shut up you!" Sakura yelled back. Still she couldn't help smiling. He DID have one hell of an ass. She walked in the front door and closed it softly behind her. She made it all the way to her bedroom and was undressing before she realized she still had his shirt on.

That night Sakura slept in nothing but his shirt. She sat there and pulled the collar up over her face and drank in his scent like a drug.

"At least now I have a reason to go track him down tomorrow." she thought to herself. Grinning slightly she got comfortable. "I'm gonna have to make him pay for leaving me like that." she said into her pillow. She hunkered down and got ready for a night she knew would be haunted entirely by Shikamaru's hands and lips.


	11. Plans

Shikamaru was awoken much earlier than normal. Just as the sun was rising above the trees he was woken up.

"Dammit, Miki." he exclaimed, "How many times to I have to tell you? Stop waking me up by licking my feet!!"

He tried drifting off again but was interrupted by a small furry cannonball jumping off the back of the couch into his chest.

"Alright," he wheezed "I'm up….I'm up. And you couldn't let me sleep an extra hour, why?"

Miki merely looked at him innocently and then head butted him once. He ruffled the little fuzz balls ears and head in retaliation. "Your spoiled." he said. Miki barked once, as if in agreement. "Let's go get you some food." Quickly jumping off his chest she waited for him to get up. He stared at her for a couple seconds. "Yeah….definitely spoiled." he concluded.

He began walking to the kitchen. Suddenly Miki sprinted for the kitchen with him close behind.

"It's not a race. So you aren't going to get any extra for winning." Miki merely looked up at him with sad eyes, pleading. "Fine, maybe a little extra." he said ruffling her fur again. "Why couldn't Kiba give me a normal housewarming gift? Like a crock pot or some dishes? But no, he had get me something that's smarter than most people."

An hour later he was cooking breakfast on the stove. He was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I wonder who that could possibly be." he said in mock questioning. Smirking slightly he opened the door and wasn't the least bit surprised to see a full head of pink hair.

------

Sakura made sure to get up extra early so that she had time to get ready for her plan. She had cooked it up right before she went to sleep the night before. And she spent all night dreaming of how it would play out. She picked out a nice skirt that would go well with Shikamaru's shirt. She made sure it was tight enough to accentuate her curves. But not while making her look like an Ino.

She planned to wear Shikamaru's shirt when she was "returning" it to him. But she made sure to "accidentally" forget to bring a spare to wear home. Long story short. She planned to go to his house, seduce him, and claim him as her own.

Walking down the sidewalk towards Shikamaru's home she smiled to herself.

"HE IS SO OURS!!" Inner Sakura screamed to the sky. And for once Sakura didn't tell her to be quiet. For once, Sakura agreed with her.

Arriving at his house she was a bit surprised to see that his lights were on. Knowing Shikamaru, she assumed he would be asleep still. She was wanting to wake him up and surprise him. She figured it would be easier to seduce a still groggy Shikamaru. Knowing him as the genius he was, she really wanted to take every advantage she could. He could easily counter her plan if he saw it coming, and she knew it.

"Oh well." she said and knocked lightly on the door.

-----

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" he asked politely.

"Umm…ahhh."

"Snap out of it!!" she yelled at herself mentally. It was rather hard for her to focus. He answered the door with no shirt, which made it a bit hard to concentrate. And the pair of black silk pants he was wearing made it even harder. She secretly loved black silk, especially on a man. Had he answered the door with an unbuttoned black silk shirt she probably would have jumped on him and raped him there.

Finally she snapped her attention back to him. "I came by to return your shirt. You left it on me last night." she said as calmly as she could. Staying calm was being made extremely difficult at the moment though.

"Oh….I'd forgotten all about my shirt." he lied easily. "Thank you. I'm making breakfast right now….would you care to join me?"

"I'd---I'd love to." she replied. This was going against her plan but she couldn't resist. She had planned on exclaiming that she had forgotten her extra shirt and wanted him to follow her home so she could get one. Once there she would purposely make sure he saw her changing, and then it was as simple as giving him a small kiss.

They were barely 10 feet inside when she exclaimed "Awww, I didn't know you had a dog. It's so cute!!"

"Yeah. Her name is Miki. She's a Shiba-Inu. Kiba gave her to me as a puppy for a house warming gift."

"She's so sweet." Sakura continued.

"She's spoiled." he said shortly, not without a hint of affection in his voice. "C'mon" he said "The foods ready."

She followed him into the kitchen unable to take her eyes off his well muscled back. All of a sudden she couldn't stop herself. She wanted to take him, spin him around and kiss him into oblivion. As he turned around to hand her the plate she sent it spinning across the room and lunged at him.


	12. Breakfast Can Wait

AUTHOR NOTE: LEMON WARNING!!! I find it necessary to point out that there is an upcoming Lemon in this chapter. If you do not know what a Lemon is I will explain. A Lemon is a part in a fictional story that depicts graphic sexual scenes. Therefore, if you do not wish to read any such sexual material you may want to skip this chapter or start reading a different story. I would suggest start reading a new story. From this point up to the end of the story Lemons will most likely make frequent appearances. Thank You.

He turned and headed to the kitchen pulling a plate out of the cupboard as he went. "Well, so far so good." he thought as he added food to her plate. "Now all I have to do is convince her to stick around for a while."

He turned to hand her the plate when it was suddenly sent flying across the kitchen from a vicious backhand. "What the hell are yo---mmmph!!" he was cut off as she wrapped her hand behind his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

Shikamaru had the common sense to turn off the stove in his stunned state. He was unsure of what to do next but slowly took her by the waist and pulled her close, kissing her back fiercely. This time however, she took control and completely dominated the kiss. She forced him backwards out of the kitchen leading him back towards her target. Attacking his neck feverishly, she steered him back within a foot of the pull out bed. Feeling her mouth leave his body Shikamaru opened his eyes, groaning at the loss of contact. He just had time to register that she was smiling devilishly. He barely had time to register a mental "Oh shit!!" before he was launched backwards onto the bed by Sakura's immense strength.

"Hey…..oooof…what the h--." Before he had time to recover she was on top of him silencing him with her tongue. His groans of pleasure being muffled by her mouth. Moving too his neck she nuzzled the soft spot under his chin, and began nipping softly at the muscles. She enjoyed the fact that was driving him insane.

Nipping softly at his ear she whispered in this ear. "Shikamaru?"

"Y-mmm-yes?" he asked, barely able to speak.

"I want you!!" she whimpered huskily.

That was all it took. In an instant he was trying to flip her on her back. Chuckling slightly she took hold of his wrists. She had gotten the reaction she wanted. She was waiting for him to try to take control so that when she could torture him. She wanted him to know that he couldn't do a thing if she didn't want him to. She forced his hands above his had and held them there.

Struggling, he tried to break her grip. But he knew he had no chance, not against her strength, still he struggled. She began laughing darkly and reached down between her legs as she straddled his waist and gave the front of his pants a light squeeze. "Unh-uh." she whipered, and he quit struggling. "That's better." she said. "Now……"

Suddenly Shikamaru felt his hands bound above his head and his feet bound to the bed. Looking up he saw that vines had grown out of the mattress in a matter of seconds and bound him tightly in place. "Kurenai taught me that little trick." she said simply. "I really never thought it would come in handy…especially in these sorts of….activities."

Shikamaru didn't even bother to struggle. He knew it was useless to try to break her jutsu. And frankly, he didn't want to. He had never been turned on so much in his entire life.

"Good." she said. "Good boy."

Growling deeply he tried to reach her mouth to silence her. She leaned back easily and stayed just outside of his reach. Pushing him back down with one hand she raked her nails down his chest lightly. "Now, getting angry isn't going to help." she said darkly and gave his erect member another squeeze, slightly harder than the last one.

Unable to control his body, Shikamaru bucked his hips, thrusting forward into her hand. "Hmmm? Turned on are we?" she asked innocently. She began rubbing her hand against the front of his pants lightly.

"Yes Ma'am." he replied, barely audible in this state. Suddenly she wrapped her hand around him and squeezed tightly making him buck forcefully again.

"I thought so." she said matter-of-factly. Then she removed her hand and sat down on his lap. He gasped loudly at the sudden pressure and the heat emanating from her. Once he was able to think he realized that she wasn't wearing any panties. The thought served to turn him on even more. Trying to take at least a little advantage of the situation he moved his hips slightly. He could feel how wet Sakura already was. Only a thin layer of silk separated him from her. The though irritated him.

"Damn." he thought. "She wants this as much as I do….maybe more."

Moaning at the slight movement against her most sensitive areas she nearly came where she was sitting. "M-m-m-m…..Sh-Shika-kun!!" she exclaimed.

"Grinning hungrily he looked up at her. "You're not wearing any panties." Grinding his hips up into her, almost making her fall, he laughed darkly.

She leaned down close to him and whispered, her lips just touching his ear, "Don't get too used to it." Then she ground down on him roughly in retaliation. The sensation made him arch his back groan loudly. She was going to drive him crazy. And he knew that she was doing it on purpose. Still, he couldn't stop loving every little thing she did to him. Every time she touched him it sent quakes down his body. Soon they were both drenched in sweat, and they had barely touched each other.

Suddenly her body weight disappeared. He took a second to catch his breath and then opened his eyes to see her standing at the edge of the bed. And then slowly, never taking her eyes off of his, she began to strip. The look on her face said that she was trying to torture him, and she was, horribly. Shikamaru wanted her, and he decided that he would not be denied. He began struggling ferociously against the vines that bound him. But in an instant they tightened painfully. He struggled until they nearly cut off the circulation in his arms. He fell still and watched her every movement. Glaring at her as she slipped her bra from her shoulders and then slowly, agonizingly slowly, began peeling the tight skirt that she was wearing from her hips. She bent over and slid it sensually down her legs, never once taking her eyes from him.

Once she stepped free from her pool of clothes she was instantly back on top of him. Grinding against him with more force than before. Rubbing lightly against the bulge in his pants with the palm of her hand, she sent him reeling. He snapped and growled at her in an animalistic manner. He wanted her, but there was no way he could get her. She had taken total control of the situation. He was helpless and he knew it. She pulled a kunai from somewhere behind her. He froze where he was (not that he could really go anywhere) and stared. "Awwww. What's wrong Shika-kun? You look kind of….tense." And as she said the last word she gave him a strong squeeze.

Then in a matter of seconds his pants were turned into a series of black silk tatters on the bed sheets. Slowly she kissed her way down his body until she reached his erection. Deciding to be a tease, she blew lightly on it before reaching out and kissing him lightly on the tip. Shikamaru shuddered when she had blown on him. Now, with that kiss, he was shaking so hard he thought the bed might collapse. Groaning as she kisses him lightly from tip to base and back again, he growled at her. "Stop it!"

Quickly she put on a mask of mock affront and exclaimed, "Stop what?" But at the same time she squeezed him hard around the base, thoroughly leaving him unable to speak, let alone think of an answer. The force of her hand make him throw back his, head and bite his lip to silence himself. Seconds later his eyes shot open and he gasped loudly at the unexpected (yet amazing) feeling of Sakura wrapping her lips around his head and flicking her tongue lightly over the tip.

"OH GOD, SAKURA!!!" he was nearly screaming in pleasure.

She sat there for a few seconds, unmoving, as she let him adjust. She had a dilemma of her own to solve. He was big, "Which could be a problem." she said mentally. "I don't know if I can do this. He's big. I don't know if I can handle him. Well, I guess the only way to find out is to try." As she made up her mind she gently worked her way down until she couldn't take anymore of him. Then she retreated back to the head and repeated the process, each time taking a little bit more. After a few times of repeating this process she had an evil idea.

Shikamaru watched through half-lidded eyes as she slowly took him into her mouth again. He knew he was almost at his limit. Then, as she reached her limit she moaned deep in the back of her throat. Then she released the chakra she had stored in her tongue and sent it running through Shikamaru's length, literally forcing him to an orgasm. Shikamaru's eyes shot wide open as the vibrations ran through his length. And suddenly, unable to control himself or hold back any longer, he bucked his hips hard. Sakura, anticipating this, merely held him in place until he was finished.

Slowly she pulled him out of her mouth, cleaning him as she went, sending chills down his spine. She released his hands and feet crawling up next to him, dragging the blanket with her as she did. She covered them up and snuggled close to his chest. When he finally caught his breath he looked at her with a look of utter ecstasy.

"Good night, Shika-kun." she whispered against his chest.

"Umm…but Sakura, y-you didn't get anything." he stammered.

She laughed openly and looked up into his eyes. "I disagree." she said bluntly. "I got you." And with that she lay back down and drifted off to sleep.

Shikamaru lay awake for a while just staring at her. Then he lay his head back on the pillow stared at the ceiling dumbly. "I can't believe it." he said. "She outsmarted me at every turn. She turned my own plan back on me. She pulled my strings and played me like a game." But all the while he smiled. He smiled because he really didn't care. Hell, he could enjoy being played like that. Looking down at her face he smiled again, and stated simply.

"I'm whipped."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Sorry everyone. I really haven't had much time to write at all. Everything got so busy all of a sudden. And I'm not really sure where I can take the story at this point. I haven't had any real kind of inspiration for a while. If you have any suggestions or comments, or anything that you would like to see happen, please e-mail me. I'm always open for suggestions. Thanks **

** ~Kyo Silverblood~**


	13. Am I Dreaming?

Shikamaru stirred lightly as he woke. Groaning he turned away from the light filtering in through his closed eyes. He ad been having the most wonderful dream. In it Sakura had visited him with the intentions of "returning" his shirt from the other night. But things didn't go according to plan. In the end she had seduced him, and then damn near raped him. All in all is was a fairly good dream.

Slowly he ralized that he **was curled up with somebody. A petite curvaceous somebody. Somebody who smelled faintly of cherry blossoms, and vanilla. Slowly he opened one eye and glimpsed the back of a small, pale, body. Investigating further he found that this beautiful creature had mid-length, shockingly bright pink hair. Which meant she could only be one person.**

"**Maybe I'm still dreaming.", he thought to himself. Slowly he reached out and caressed her pale shoulder. "Holy shit……she's real. It wasn't a dream after all." Grinning like a little kid on Christmas, it took all his will power not to shout. "Wait a minute…..if that wasn't a dream…." He lifted the covers and saw the tattered remains of his pants. "Dammit……and I liked those pants too." Smiling in spite of the loss of his pants he edged over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a small kiss between her shoulder blades.**

**Sakura stirred as she felt sudden warmth against her back. Turning over she saw a very sexy Shikamaru.**

"**Well, good morning to you too." she said smiling at him. She looked him up and down admiring his well muscled arms and chest. And the way his long hair lay around his head made him irresistible to her. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him close for a kiss.**

**Breaking away he replied, "Actually it's more towards the afternoon."**

"**Baaah, who cares?" she replied, annoyed that he had broken the kiss. Suddenly she smiled mischievously and pushed him in the chest, giggling as she did. Being so close to the edge, when he rolled from the push he had simply gone over the side. A muffled thud followed by a groan came from the direction of the floor.**

"**Oh shit….I'm sorry" she apologized quickly.**

"**I'm okay," his voice came from the floor, muffled slightly by the blankets and pillow he had dragged with his fall.**

"**Chouji was right. You really are clumsy when you wake up." she teased.**

**His head popped into view over the bed. "Chouji? Oh shit", he said as he sat back down on the bed.**

"**What is it?" she asked as she draped her arms over his shoulders.**

"**I have some explaining and apologizing to do. I've been acting like such an ass. I'm really going to have to make it up to him. And knowing Chouji, it's going to put a dent in my wallet. Man likes his barbeque pork."**

"**Don't worry love, I'm sure that he'll understand. You've been a good friend to him over the years. Especially to think about him instead of the nude woman in front of you. I know it'll be okay."**

"**Noticing that she was, in fact, completely naked, he eyed her hungrily. Well, I guess I'm just going to have to fix that too, won't I?"**

"**No…," she giggled as he kissed across her bare shoulder. She planted her hands on either side of his face and made him look at her. ", you're going to go make things right with Chouji. Now!" she stated firmly. "You and I will have plenty of time for that later."**

"**Fine….but can I at least take a shower first?"**

"**Yes, that's fine. You can take your sho……..HEY!! PUT ME DOWN!!!" she yelled as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.**

"**Nope." he said simply patting her bare ass lovingly. She slapped him hard on the ass, in retaliation, making him yelp.**

"**Keep that up and I may just have to make Chouji wait and hour or so." he threatened. She settled down immediately. "Good." he said and placed a kiss on the thigh that lay next to his had and carried her off to the shower.**


	14. Apologies

AUTHORS NOTE: Sorry everybody. I know it's been a bit of a wait and I apologize. I've been really busy lately. As most of you know, I am in the Army. I was in the field for two weeks so I couldn't really type. And classes started back up as soon as I got back. I'll try my best to keep updating quickly. But don't count on that happening too often. Thank you for your understading.

* * *

As Shikamaru got out of the shower 45 minutes later, they just couldn't stay off of each other, he searched frantically for his hair tie. "Sakura, have you seen my hair tie?" The only response he got was silence. "Sakura?" he asked again. "Where the hell is that woman?" he asked the ceiling.

He scanned the house looking for her. He was searching the smaller bedroom when he was tackled from behind. She sat on his stomach and kissed him softly. After a few seconds he realized that she had his hair tie as a bracelet. "Give it." he warned her. She merely stuck her tongue out and deftly pulled her arm out of his reach. "Hey…c'mon. Sakura…..give it back!! Do not think that I won't go down your shirt after it…….or your pants."

"Fine." She responded, letting go of the waist of her jeans. "You can have it back. On one condition."

"And that would be?" he asked warily.

"You aren't allowed to put your hair up today. You have to wear it as a bracelet." she said in a tone that meant there was no bargaining. "You look better with it down anyway." she added.

"Alright….alright…..you win." he replied annoyed. Sakura squealed with joy and jumped into his chest. "Okay….make yourself at home," he said as he snapped the tie on to his wrist. "I'm going to go find Chouji and straighten this out. I'll be back in a couple of hours." He kissed her once and headed out the door.

He was tempted to put his hair up, but to him, a promise was a promise. He walked across the village to Chouji's house looking for him. He had no luck at his house, but his fiancée told him that he could probably find him at the ramen shop. With a quick word of thanks he headed for Ichiraku.

He kept running his hands through his hands nervously. He had never really let his hair down except when he took a shower. He hated it down, it was always in his way, and he didn't like the stares he got from random strangers. Today though he was so preoccupied with his thoughts he didn't notice the stares. He was more concentrated on the clouds than what was in front of him.

He payed little attention to his surroundings until he heard a sharp crack and a muffled thud. Looking down from the sky he spied Hana Hyuuga sitting on the ground, her hands clasped to her forehead. "Oooowwwww….jeeze, that hurt!"

"You know….I thought that the Hyuuga's Byakugan was supposed to be able to see anything." he teased jokingly. "That must have been one hell of a sneaky wall." he said rapping the wall lightly with his knuckles.

Hana said nothing but gaped at him for a minute. He obviously had no idea she had ran into the wall because she was staring at him. After a few seconds she jumped to her feet and ran off the same way she had came. Shikamaru stared, one eyebrow slightly raised. "Wonder what that was about? I know Hinata's pretty shy….but Hana's usually fairly relaxed." He merely shrugged his shoulders and walked off.

He found Chouji sitting at Ichiraku, just as his fiancée had said he would. Also sitting around the table were Neji, Tenten, and a bemused looking Shino. Neji and Tenten were "busy" and not paying much attention. Chouji looked up as Shikamaru approached, while Shino merely raised an eyebrow. Shikamaru could swear he spied a smirk behind that collar that hid most of the Aburame's facial features. Shino's Kikai hummed loudly as he moved closer and Shino was positively grinning.

"Hey Chouji. I……" he couldn't really find the words. "I'm sorry. I came to apologize for the way I've been acting. I know I've been a complete ass….and I'm sorry." he finished lamely with his head down.

"You know, you said sorry twice. I figured you were sorry the first time you said it." Chouji replied easily. Shikamaru looked up dumbfounded. "Man, for a genius, you're pretty dense." he finished grinning from ear to ear. "Stop standing there looking like a dumbass, and sit down already."

Shikamaru ran his fingers through his hair again, tousling it slightly. He couldn't believe that Chouji was so willing to forgive him that easily.

"How 'bout we take a walk." he suggested.

"Uuuummmm………Neji and I have things to do." Tenten interjected shyly. And with that her and Neji took off in the direction they all knew to be Tenten's apartment.

Sighing in exasperation, Shino set down money and the three of them headed off. They were walking at the edge of the lake when Shikamaru started apologizing again. "I really am sorry guys, I didn't mean…". But Shino cut him off quickly.

"Listen. It doesn't seem like it's going to be a future problem. So there isn't any real need to keep worrying about it. So, stop worrying."

"Thanks Shino. So when did you find out?"

"The second I saw you walking up."

"How?"

"The Kikai. They can alert me to just about anything. Including the changes in a persons pheromones. And your's seem to have changed quite drastically."

"I see."

"Yeah? Well I don't." Chouji replied loudly. "What the hell are the two of you babbling about? Just what is it I'm not getting?"

"It isn't about what you aren't getting, my friend." Shino smirked soundly, "It's what Shikamaru _is_ getting." he finished. Shikamaru, spying the dumbfounded look on his best friends face, could only laugh. Slightly hurt, Chouji decided to remain silent towards the two of them.

"Please, explain to the man Shino."

"Shikamaru got laid, Chouji." he stated simply.

"Ohhhhhhh." Chouji replied with a look of dawning comprehension.

"So you knew right away? As soon as I walked up?"

"For the most part. And the long pink hair on the back of your shirt narrows it down to two people. One of them being quite a bit older and married."

"WHOA…..time out." Chouji interjected again. "You're telling me that Shikamaru hooked up with Sakura?"

"Yes" Shino replied calmly.

"But how?"

"Oh, for Christ's sake Chouji!! We all knew you weren't the brightest. But to not even know about"

"I KNOW WHAT SEX IS DAMMIT!!!" he yelled at Shino. At this point Shikamaru fell over laughing and had to hold on to the tree for support. "What I mean is how did it happen?"

"Don't really know myself." Shikamaru choked out between laughs. "My question is: How did the Kikai know to check my pheromones? Don't you have to command them?"

"Usually, yes." Shino replied. "But I don't have total control. They do have minds of their own. Plus, they were already going ballistic because of Neji and Tenten. I swear, those two are worse than a couple of rabbits. It's a goddamn miracle to ever see them out of her apartment." Shikamaru broke down in gales of laughter again, as did Chouji. It wasn't just that it was a good joke. It was the fact that nobody had ever heard an Aburame with a sense of humor. Least of all, Shino.

"Alright Shikamaru, head back to your woman. She's probably fairly lonely by now with you not there." Chouji ribbed at him.

"Just a sec Chouji." Shino interrupted. "I still have one more question that I wanted to ask Shikamaru."

"Hm? What's that?" Shikamaru inquired.

"What is with your hair?" he asked seriously. "Never, in over 10 years of knowing you, have I or anybody else seen you with your hair down."

"Oh…..that." he mumbled sheepishly. "Sakura…kinda…made me do it."

Shino merely looked at him for a few seconds, before making the sound like the cracking of a whip.


	15. Gifts

"She. . .she. . .she sliced. . .you pants?" Shino managed to ask between gasps for air. Shino was laughing so hard it hurt.

"It isn't funny." Shikamaru replied indignantly. "Those were some really nice pants too."

"You gotta admit," Shino continued, his face red, "that's one hell of a first date!" Then he burst out laughing again.

They were lounging on the rooftop of Shikamaru's favorite napping spot. It overlooked the busy marketplace in the center of Konoha. Sakura wasn't expecting him home for another hour or so. "It was part of a gift. My parents gave them to me when I left." It was customary in the Nara household that the parents were to buy or build the children houses upon the day they move out. As the only child of a fairly wealthy family, he had received quite a bit more than was necessary. The house had come fully furnished in the style that he liked. And his parents(his mother at least) spent quite a bit of time on the master bedroom and a nursery. Which made it more than obvious what she was after.

His parents had damn near spent an entire fortune on the bedroom and bedroom 'attire'. He hadn't know that that much silk had existed in all of Kohona, let alone black silk. It was true that Shikamaru loved silk. However, when he walked into the bedroom for the first time all he could think was, "Holy Fucking Shit!!!". There was black silk everywhere in the room. Black silk bed sheets, black silk bed curtains, black silk curtains on the windows. Pillow cases, table covers, and even the wide array of bed clothes were all made of pure black silk. He swore up and down they had to call a favor into to the Aburame clan for this. And well in advance too.

At least the room was comfy. The only problem was that he never slept in that room. He almost always slept in the pull-out couch. The room was kind of 'in reserve'. Shikamaru felt no need to use it. He had slept alone his whole life. There was just nobody too share it with. Why even bother? He was waiting until he had somebody move in.

"Maybe now I'll actually get a chance to use it." he thought to himself.

"Maybe now you'll get a chance to use that room, eh?" Chouji said aloud, voicing Shikamaru's own thoughts. "Now maybe it won't be going to waste and gathering dust."

"Hm? What room?" Shino asked, suddenly curious.

Shikamaru started explaining the room situation, unaware that as he did Sakura was busy exploring the silk room as he spoke.


	16. Erotic Artwork

Sakura decided to tidy up a bit as Shikamaru was out with the guys. She had started first with the pull-out bed. Then she moved on to the kitchen. Of course Miki had taken the opportunity to steal the food from the grounded plate.

As she cleaned she vaguely wondered why Shikamaru slept on the couch. It was obvious that he slept only there, seeing as how he kept clothes in the living room. The house was big enough to have at least two bedrooms. "Possibly even three or four, for that matter." she thought to herself.

She stumbled from room to room trying to find Shikamaru's real bedroom. She found a couple small storage rooms, and surprisingly a nursery, already fully furnished. A few minutes later she stumbled into what she thought as a guest room. It was decorated much too lavishly for Shikamaru's taste. "Pretty sure Shika isn't a big fan of flowers." she said aloud, and moved on.

After another 15 minutes of poking around she noticed a pair of heavy wooden double doors. They were beautiful. Dark oak with intricate handles. Along the doors were gorgeous intricate engravings. On the left a delicate doe, and on the right a large buck with shapely antlers. The two met heads intimately at the top of the door. She stood gaping at the doors in amazement.

This had to be Shikamaru's room. She pushed the door open. They looked extremely heavy, yet they slid back with ease. She peered in shyly, feeling like an intruder on some intimate scene. This was definitely Shika's room. She only needed to look around once to see that. There wasn't so much frippery in this room. It was mostly very basic, yet extremely exotic and sexy. The black silk of Shikamaru's pants(or what had been his pants) matched the room perfectly.

She felt strange being in his room, but she still couldn't resist the urge to poke around a bit. Her hands itched uncomfortably with the urge to examine everything in this room. Everything was so soft and delicate. The pillow cases, sheets, bed hangings, curtains, and even table covers were black silk. The bed hangings were so thin they were nearly transparent. She ran her hand lightly over the bed sheet, reveling at the feel. So soft, and so sexy. This room was truly a piece of the most exotic art she had ever seen. The room was extremely beautiful; and somehow erotic and arousing. Opening the drawer to one of the matching set of drawers on the left side of the bed she found many more sets of black silk pants, identical to the ones she had sliced. She opened the other set and found some very, *ahem*, 'delicate' lingerie that left little to the imagination.

Noticing a door leading off the room, she walked across and pushed it aside. Inside was, without a doubt, the largest and most beautiful bathroom she had ever seen. There were two large sinks inlaid into the counter with a set of shelves and drawers for each one. Three closets lay in the opposite wall. One for him, her, and one for towels and supplies. The tub itself was huge. Big enough to fit four people comfortably. It even sported water jets for relaxation.

She walked back into the room and it was only then that she noticed what was seemingly off. Either Shikamaru Nara was a neat freak with borderline germaphobia, or this room had never once been used. She was betting on the latter. It seemed that it was cleaned regularly, but lacked that welcoming feeling that a room that is used has. She decided to give Chouji a call. She didn't want to bother Shika with it, if he would rather not talk about it.


	17. I'd Like To Phone A Friend

"Hello?"

"Hi Chouji."

"Oh…Hi Sakura. You kinda caught me by surprise there." Chouji said. "I thought you would be sleeping pretty soundly right about now." he added slyly.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say he told you about us?" she asked.

"Yeah. So, what's up?"

"I had a question for you."

"Sure, shoot. What'cha need?"

"What is it with that silk bedroom? It looks like it's never even been touched."

"Oh that. His mom designed it personally when the house was built. He just never saw fit to use it." he said. "He said he was waiting for the right time and the right person to come along before he used it."

"Really?" she replied with an evil hint to her voice.

"Sakura," Chouji said warningly, "I know that you have a plan forming in your head. So, 1) I don't want to hear the details…..ever. And 2) I don't want to hear about the aftermath…once again…..ever."

"Ok….deal."

"But you'd better hurry. Shikamaru left right before you called. I'd estimate you have about 25 minutes to get whatever it is ready. Less if he's in a mood to have fun. Have fun kids." he said and hung up. "Looks like our friend is in for a warm welcome home present." he said turning to Shino.

"Indeed."


End file.
